Zeus : a study in ancient religion - Warburg Institute

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The axes of Penelope
wards and became ruler of Italy. Then Zeus, quitting Assyria, followed Kronos, who
yielded to him the kingship of Italy. Having reigned for many years, Zeus died and was
buried in Crete. Ninos as king of Assyria was succeeded V)y Thouros, called also Ares.
The Assyrians changed his name to Baal or Bel, set up a statue of him, and worshipped
him. After the death of Zeus, Phaunos his son became king and took the name Hermes.
Aphrodite married Adonis son of Kinyras. Pikos, called also Zeus (HIkov tov koI Aia), was
king of Assyria for thirty years and then, leaving the throne to his son Belos and to his
wife and sister Hera, followed his father Kronos, who being old and infirm abdicated in
his favour. So Pikos reigned in Italy for another sixty-two years. Belos his son was king
of Assyria for two years. Ninos, the uncle of Belos, reigned for fifty-two years. A descend-
ant of his was Zoroastres the famous astronomer, who prayed that he might be struck and
consumed by celestial fire, and bade the Persians venerate his bones on pain of losing their
empire (supra p. 35 f.)—a fate which they actually incurred. Ninos the brother of Zeus
was succeeded as king of Assyria by Thouros, to whom Zamis his father, the brother of
Rhea, gave the name of the planet Ares. This Ares slew the giant Kaukasos, who came
from the tribe of lapheth (Japheth), and passing over into Thrace died and was buried there.
To him the Assyrians set up the first statue, worshipping him under the name of Baal.
After him Lamis became king of Assyria, and then Sardanapalos, who was slain by Perseus,
son of Zeus and Danae. He transferred the empire from the Assyrians to his namesake
Persians, over whom he ruled for fifty-three years. It must be borne in mind that this
Pikos Zeus [TIikos ovtos 6 Zevs) was the greatest deceiver, charlatan, trickster, and magician
of the whole human race. From his infancy to his old age—for he lived to be one hundred
and twenty— he indulged in all manner of abominable sins, seducing no fewer than seventy
fair maidens by means of mystic apparitions. For all that he persuaded men to regard him as
a god. Worse still, when he died and was buried in Crete, his relatives, in accordance with
his own behest, built him a temple and a tomb, on which they inscribed evddde Kilrai davwv
IIi/cos 6 Kal Tievs.
This wild farrago, which implies the genealogy
Sem
Chous
Nebrod Orion Kronos = Semiramis Rhea
1
Zamis
1
I
\
Pikos Zeus = Hera Belos
_
1
71 \
Ninos = Semiramis Rhea Aphros = Astynome Thouros Ares Baal
Phaunos Belos Aphrodite
Zoroastres
and involves obvious inconsistencies (Belos is both son of Kronos and son of Zeus ; he is
also distinguished from Baal or Bel), was taken over by Kedrenos or his immediate source
(K. Krumbacher Geschichte der byzatitinischen Liiteratur^ MUnchen 1897 p. 369) from
earlier chroniclers such as Georgios Monachos [s. ix) and Georgios Synkellos (s. viii).
Souidas (c. 950 A.D.) used a similar source s.v. IItJkos 6 Kal ZeiJs, citing the Cretan epitaph
as evdabe Ketrai davicv JItjkos 6 Kai Zei^s (sitpra i. 158 n. 2)—an itacism which occurs also
in the narrative of Georg. Monachos chron. i. 3 (i. 12 de Boor) ^x^y 5^ yvvaTiKo. ^enlpaniv,
TTjv Kal 'Piav KoXov/iivriv wapa ' Affavplois, ^ffXf Uc. Kpdvos) vlovs 8O0 Kal dvyaripa iiiav, koL
TOV fiev irpoa-i]y6p€V(T€ Aia els ovofia rod irKav-qTOV affripoi, rbv 5^ iTruifSfiaiTe 'Nivov, Kal tt)v
dvyaripa'Tlpai', rjv Kal ^Xafiev eh yvvaiKa TlrjKos (ttTkos codd. G.H.R. et L.^ et sic deinceps
TTi^Koj hie cod. V.) 6 Kal Zeiij tt]v Idlav d5eXT7J', cp. td. i. 8 (i. 14) Hepaevs 6 vlos IIij/cou tov
Kal Al6s. Yet another spelling is found in Synkell. c/iron. 171 B (i. 322 f. Dindorf) oti irph
Klvelov a aal YlelKov vlbv Kpbvov fiaaiXeuffai X'^P"-^ \avpivTov \^' ...fied' Sv aCyov tov
viov avToO JleiKov tov Kal At6y ^tt] ju5'. tovtov d^ (paffi Tives 'Ep/J.7jv, k.t.X. and id. 237 C (i.
450) Tivks PovkovTai Kpdvov wpwTov 'AX^avbv KpaTrjaai twv KaTo. Tr)v eairipav tottuiv. fxeff' 6v
epaai UeiKov vi6v aiiTov, tov Kal Ala, ^aciXfCcraf elra ^avvov Aids vlov , tov Kal'Ep/xTJv k.t.X.
Further, the Chronicon Paschale (early in s, vii) 36 A ff. (i. 64 fT. Dindorf) already has the